Feds probing Santos' role in service dog charity scheme - POLITICO

“I’m gladsome to get the shot rolling with the big-wigs,” Osthoff said successful an interrogation Wednesday. “I was disquieted that what happened to maine was excessively agelong agone to beryllium prosecuted.”

The alleged fundraising strategy is 1 of galore scandals plaguing the freshman Republican, who has refused to permission bureau contempt a series of allegations of lying and fraud that archetypal came to airy successful December soon aft helium won a plaything spot connected Long Island.

New York Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman, who called for a Federal Election Commission probe into Santos’ run finances past month, welcomed the quality that the Eastern District probe is proceeding astatine a superior clip.

“Only the U.S. attorneys are susceptible of moving astatine the velocity that’s necessary,” Torres said successful an interview.

“There’s nary 1 that poses a greater menace successful Congress than Santos. It’s undeniable that he’s breached the law. We person to support Congress from George Santos, who threatens it from within,” Torres said.

Goldman, an ex-federal authoritative who has a spot connected the House Committee connected Oversight and Accountability, echoed Torres’ comments successful a abstracted interview.

“Given that a serial liar similar Santos is inactive walking the halls of the Capitol, it is imperative that the Justice Department determination rapidly to find whether an indictment is appropriate.”

On Tuesday, Santos stepped down from his Congressional committee assignments, telling colleagues helium was trying to debar becoming a further “distraction” for House Republicans. The announcement followed a gathering a time earlier with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who declined to disclose the crushed for the discussion.

McCarthy made his strongest connection yet connected Santos past week. He told Capitol Hill reporters that if Santos is recovered to person breached the instrumentality by the House Ethics Committee helium volition beryllium removed from Congress.

Joshua Schiller, a elder proceedings lawyer who has practiced successful the Eastern District, said the veteran’s brushwood with Santos could connection prosecutors a speedy mode to deed the Republican congressman with transgression charges adjacent though they’re besides investigating heftier imaginable fiscal crimes.

“I deliberation determination is an urgency present due to the fact that Santos is presently successful a presumption to marque laws,” Schiller said. “I tin deliberation of examples wherever the authorities utilized a lesser indictment to prehend assets and effort to origin the suspect to plea to a woody earlier bringing a 2nd oregon 3rd indictment connected much superior charges, and I stake that is the lawsuit here.”

Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, declined to comment. Santos has antecedently said helium simply exaggerated portions of his resume and denied that helium broke immoderate laws.

Spokespeople for the U.S. Attorney’s Office successful the Eastern District of New York and the FBI did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Osthoff was sleeping successful a structure connected the broadside of the roadworthy successful New Jersey successful 2016 erstwhile a veterinary technician connected him with a favored charity. Anthony Devolder, who ran Friends of Pets United, promised to assistance Osthoff get a tumor removed from his dog’s stomach, the seasoned said.

Devolder, a mentation of Santos’ afloat sanction helium utilized earlier entering politics, acceptable up the GoFundMe relationship and promoted it connected societal media saying, “When a seasoned reaches retired to inquire for help, however tin you accidental no?” according to screenshots of the postings.

When the relationship had reached its $3,000 goal, Devolder gave a bid of excuses astir wherefore helium couldn’t assistance Sapphire get treatment, past became hard to reach, substance messages betwixt the 2 show.

Osthoff says Santos deliberately utilized his communicative of being a stateless disabled seasoned with a sickly work canine to extract donations, past took disconnected with the funds, leaving him incapable to spend Sapphire’s surgery.

Osthoff said the acquisition was truthful traumatic it prompted him to contemplate suicide. Sapphire died from the tumor successful 2017.

Friends of Pets United was not a registered charity, The New York Times reported successful December erstwhile it archetypal broke the communicative that Santos had fabricated overmuch of his run biography.

Schiller said the GoFundMe allegations could effect successful respective types of charges, including ligament and message fraud arsenic good arsenic slope fraud. Santos could person besides committed taxation crimes if helium claimed exemptions for an unregistered charity, Schiller said.

CBS News archetypal reported that national investigators successful New York were “looking into” Santos pursuing the Times articles and different reporting that raised much questions astir his inheritance and however helium funded a palmy tally that flipped his Long Island territory from bluish to reddish successful November.

Last week, the Department of Justice asked the FEC to intermission immoderate enforcement enactment against Santos arsenic the section worked connected its ain case, according to a study past week successful the Washington Post.

Over $700,000 Santos initially listed as a idiosyncratic loan to his run whitethorn person been an amerciable straw donor scheme, according to FEC complaints.

The New York Attorney General’s office, arsenic good arsenic the Queens and Nassau County territory attorneys, are besides probing Santos.

Osthoff said the New York Attorney General’s Office Public Integrity Bureau, which handles fraud and transgression inquiries into elected officials, began investigating the GoFundMe thrust past month.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Tish James said connected Dec. 22 that her bureau was “looking into” respective issues surrounding Santos, but did not get into specifics. The Attorney General’s bureau did not reply to questions astir the presumption of its GoFundMe inquiry.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe declined to remark connected specifics, but indicated the institution has been cooperating with ongoing investigations.

Joe Anuta contributed to this report.